The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in Science. The lowest is 38% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Meredith Hill Elementary School
Meredith Hill Elementary School serves prekindergarten through fifth grade in the southern part of Auburn, Washington. It is a regular public school within the Federal Way School District, housed in a building set amid the residential neighborhoods of the Lakeland Hills area. For a family looking at this school, the core picture is that of a large elementary serving a diverse, middle-income student body where state test scores trail the county median, a soft spot worth investigating further.
The school enrolls a sizeable student population for an elementary, drawing from a community that has grown substantially in recent decades through annexations and planned developments. Lakeland Hills itself was built as a large master-planned community on the hills above the Green River Valley, adding homes, its own elementary school, and a shopping center. Students living here attend a school embedded in their own neighborhood, which is a common and convenient arrangement in Auburn’s decentralized pattern of school placement in residential areas.
Student demographics show a largely diverse mix. The largest groups are white students and Asian students, each making up roughly a quarter of the enrollment, followed by Hispanic students, Black students, and a substantial share of students who identify as two or more races. A smaller number of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students also attend. The proportion of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is substantial, above the level many families would consider moderate.
Auburn itself is a mid-sized suburb in the Seattle metropolitan area, with a historic downtown core, a major transit hub at Auburn Station, and a significant industrial and manufacturing presence anchored by the Boeing plant. The Muckleshoot Indian Reservation lies to the south and southeast. The city’s economy is diverse, with top employers including Boeing, the school district, Muckleshoot Tribal Enterprises, and MultiCare Auburn Medical Center. The housing market in the area commands a premium relative to national norms, and rents are not inexpensive. The city’s population has seen a slight decline from the 2020 census to the most recent estimate, even as annexations have expanded its boundaries.
On state assessments, Meredith Hill’s performance is below the midpoint relative to districts across King County, a broad comparison set that includes wealthier districts. In math, proficiency rates start in the middling range for third graders but drop by fourth and fifth grade. In English language arts, the third-grade rate is low, while fourth and fifth graders post modestly higher rates. In science, a subject tested only in fifth grade, the proficiency rate sits just below half. These numbers suggest that across the board, a majority of students are not meeting the state’s bar for grade-level proficiency, and a parent would want to understand what academic interventions or support structures the school has in place, particularly as students move into the upper elementary grades.
Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report. Data on special education and English learner populations was not provided, nor were details on discipline, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism. A parent may want to ask the school directly about how it serves students with individualized education programs and multilingual learners, since the school’s overall test results may be influenced by support in those areas.
The Federal Way School District itself, as the parent district for Meredith Hill, did not have readily available information about recent strategic priorities or major changes. The school’s website may be the better place to look for current program offerings, enrichment activities, and family engagement events.
Meredith Hill is a neighborhood school in a growing community with a diverse student body. Its academic profile shows room for improvement across tested grades and subjects, and the lack of data on some key support areas means a prospective parent should plan to ask pointed questions about how the school addresses learning gaps and supports all students. The school fits a family looking for a large elementary school close to home in south Auburn, provided they are prepared to be active partners in monitoring their child’s academic progress.
See more original research from School Decision →